A graphic of statistics from the Oxford Economics 2026 Global Cities Index Report.
Jacksonville is one of the top five cities to watch in North America.
So says Oxford Economics in its 2026 Global Cities Index Report.
Rounding out the top five are Boise, Durham, San Antonio and Edmonton.
Mayor Donna Deegan joined Jacksonville Civic Council President and CEO Dennis Whittle, Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland and Jax Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis in a press conference announcing this achievement for the Bold City on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at City Hall.
In its annual index, Oxford Economics ranks the top 1,000 cities worldwide based on five “evaluation pillars:” economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. Among cities with fewer than four million people, Jacksonville ranks 97th, up from 119th last year, with a goal of breaking into the top 50 by 2032.
Overall, Jacksonville ranks 134th, in the top 20% for three of the five pillars, except for quality of life, where it falls in the top half.
New York, New York holds the number one spot on the list, with London, Paris, Seattle and San Francisco rounding out the top five.
Deegan said this recognition by Oxford Economics reflects what people are seeing and feeling “on the ground” in Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville has momentum. Companies are investing here. Our economy is becoming more diverse, which we needed,” Deegan said. “Finance, fintech, defense, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing are all creating new opportunities for us. Downtown has reached its ignition point.”
Howland said he is not surprised by this designation, and that more and more people are discovering what he’s known for a while.
“Jacksonville, to me, is the best city in America for a business to relocate and grow, you’ve heard me say before, and for families to live, work and play,” Howland said. “It’s really only been a matter of time, I think, before the rest of the world discovered that. I think they have. I think they are discovering that, and they’re doing so with their feet.”
Howland said he believes four factors help make Jacksonville so attractive. These factors, according to Howland, are: Jacksonville’s low-tax environment, efficient government, quality of life, and job creation and workforce development.
“Jacksonville is a blue-collar, stable economy in a high-flying, high-growth state,” Howland said. “…the best city in the Southeast for businesses to relocate and grow, and families to live, work and play.”
This designation, Deegan added, is validation rather than a finish line, and more work remains before Jacksonville reaches its pinnacle.
“Being a city to watch is not the mountaintop. It is simply an external validation that we are moving in the right direction. The mountaintop is a Jacksonville where prosperity reaches every neighborhood,” Deegan said. “Where every child can fulfill their God-given potential, where quality of life matches the strength of our economy – that is the Jacksonville we are working toward, and if we continue to move forward together across sectors, across neighborhoods and across differences, I truly believe we will get there.”
The report’s release comes just two months ahead of the November election, during which voters will decide the fate of Amendment 3, regarding property taxes. Following the press conference, Resident News asked Whittle if he cared to comment on the implications the amendment could have on the economy, if it were to pass.
“I would hate for us to do anything that took the wind out of the sails of what you’re seeing here today, and I think I’ll just leave it at that,” Whittle said. “We’ll [the Civic Council] have more to say later.”
Read the Civic Council’s official statement in our continued coverage of Amendment 3 at https://residentnews.net/inside-amendment-3/